Wave openers

This is a discussion on Wave openers within the Defensive Knives & Other Weapons forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; How does everybody like the wave openers
I was wondering if the wave part damaged your pockets, I like the endura but i had some ...

It did take a little bit of practice, but is pretty easy to get the hang of. I haven't noticed any undue damage to pants from it, although I wouldn't practice it with nice dress pants. Jeans seem to handle it pretty well.

One downside is that if the clip catches on something and pulls the knife from the pocket it is open. I'm not sure I would like the Spyderco's as much without the wave as I prefer thumbstuds to holes, but with the wave it works great and is very handy.

I reccomend it, and its what I carry everyday. I believe Emerson has some videos of how to draw it on their website.

The Wave design by Ernest Emerson to me is one of the best inventions in folding blades that I think has come down the pipe in my time.....that and good locking mechanisims. Love mine on both Emersons and Spydercos (who pays Ernest a royality for each one they make).

It's a pretty cool design, not as useful as I thought it was going to be.
As for it opening by accident...with some practice opening I've found that to be a non issue. Then again, it's my personal policy that I practice opening any new knife I get.

I was wondering if the wave part damaged your pockets, I like the endura but i had some concerns about the wave and its actual functionality. Is there a technique or does it come fairly naturally.

I have one, a waved Delica 4. I love it. It's superior to the standard Delica, and superior to "assisted openers" like those bulky Kershaws. Plus, it's not a "mechanism" or any kind of spring doing the opening, so it's not like it can remotely be called a "switchblade" in the eyes of the law.

The technique is pretty simple. Say you're carrying in right rear pocket: you grip the knife with your thumb on one side and fingertips on the other. Slightly rotate the knife while still in the pocket so that the spine of the blade is against the membrane of the pocket. Slide the knife upwards and press the spine against the pocket fabric. As the wave notch engages the lip of the pocket, you will feel the blade start to rotate out. You can help it to happen by slightly tilting the heel-end of the handle toward your body as you push the notch against the lip of the pocket.

There are videos online that you can probably search for and locate, of people demonstrating various draws.

I can honestly say that I can't see you being disappointed if you were to get a waved Delica 4.
I'm a big fan of thumbhole openers; with the waved Delica 4 you have the option of opening the knife in the "standard" way. You really can't do that too easily with many of the Kershaws, in my experience. In fact, I think that some of them don't even have a stud, and rely on the assistance of the spring for opening. Not my style.

I've had an Emerson Commander with the wave feature since 1999. Opening the knife on the draw is fairly intuitive. Just push back slightly as you pull the knife from your pocket. To avoid opening the knife as you remove it from your pocket you need to consciously push the knife forward IN your pocket as you draw.

My jeans get more worn out from the knife going in and out than from the wave design feature. The large majority of my "comfortable" jeans have frayed seams at the pocket where knives are clipped.

As to the difference in manufacturers, Spyderco knives are more ambidextrous for use than the Emersons, but IMHO Emersons are of a higher manufactuing quality and are specifically designed to be right or left handed.

I was wondering if the wave part damaged your pockets, I like the endura but i had some concerns about the wave and its actual functionality. Is there a technique or does it come fairly naturally.

I am a recent wave convert. I have the Endura, Delica, CQC-7 and super QCQ-7. Operating the wave feature is a breeze, easily learned, and gotta be the fastest method of deployment of a folder.

Like frankborelli, I have found that the most noticeable pocket wear comes from the knife just sitting in the pocket. Normal movement causes my jeans to fray slightly at the point in contact with the top edge of the Emersons.

I have delicas, enduras, cold steels and griptillians that I have waved myself, then I have the emersons that I have purchased and now the P'kal is on the way. I like the wave but as mentioned when training or practicing the draw you can wear a pocket.

I carry a Griptillian that I waved myself at work and I would say that I use the wave feature about 80% of the time when working and it has caused significant wear on the pocket of my work pants. If your plan is to open manually most of the time and plan to rely on the wave in an "emergency" situation just remember that your muscle memory is going to be opening manually. So really you need to pick one and stick with it as much as possible. Like I said I use the wave most of the time because if I am having to use my knife at work to cut something free it I am usually busy with my other hand so even when I am just using it to open a box I instinctively use the wave without even thinking about it.
It is a very useful tool to have to rely on but just remember like everything else it can fail, so if you are planning on relying on your wave for a SD situation have a contingency plan to open your blade manually.